Exploring basketball's best ideas, strategies, and coaches around the world

Happy Sunday and welcome to all the new subscribers from around the world! We're excited to have you as part of the community 🙏

ICYMI: Last week, we looked at Joventut Badalona's use of the "Give 'n' Go" in the short roll to attack drop coverages. View the breakdown HERE.

This Week at a Glance:

🔒 SG Plus Content: "Weak to Next" - Defending Middle Ballscreens​

🎤 Slappin' Glass Podcast: Andy Bass {Pittsburgh Pirates}

🥇Best of the Week: Monaco's Scissor Delays & Zipper Deep Sweeps​

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Let's dive in...

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Forcing Weak to Next

Defending the Zipper Step Up

One of our initial attractions to the strategically advanced European game, particularly in Spanish basketball, was their clever use of the "Next" pick-and-roll defensive concept. This defensive approach involves providing on-ball help in the PNR by engaging the "next" closest perimeter defender, rather than solely tasking the Big to contain the ball. We have explored this defensive concept in great detail in the past, through our own breakdown {🔒} as well as in two excellent clinics from Obradoiro Assistant Coach, Gonzalo Rodriguez. These clinics showcase the application of the coverage {🗞}, as well as a guide to effectively implement {🔒} "Next" Defense as well.

Fortunately for us, the "Next" Well has not run dry, as we've found enjoyment in observing how teams have begun strategically blending the coverage with other defensive coverages in the PNR. This brings us to today's focus—analyzing how and why defenses can neutralize middle ballscreens by "Weaking" the ballhandler into the "Next" help on certain actions. In particular, our case study today revolves around defending the Zipper Step Up Screen.

Defending the Zipper Step Up Screen

Undoubtedly, one of the more common sets in the game involves opponents utilizing the Zipper Screen to bring a ballhandler up into the middle third of the court, orchestrating a Step Up Screen that allows the ballhandler to attack towards the "Single Side" of the floor with their dominant hand.

So, instead of letting the offense use a ballscreen aimed to isolate the defensive Big in space with two defenders behind, teams can disrupt the screen by "Weaking" the ballhandler back into the crowded side of the floor with a strong "Next" defensive presence.

Zooming In: This is especially effective when an opponent's objective is to create space for their attacking guard to drive downhill off the screen, "Weaking to Next" forces the ballhandler to 1) remain on the crowded side of the floor and 2) attempt to make a play in a crowd with their weak hand.

"Walling Off" the Zone

An added benefit of forcing a ballhandler to their weak hand is they often lacked the necessary aggression or skill with that off hand to collapse the help and force an actual full "Next" rotation that would lead to a longer closeout. In many situations we observed that the offense became perimeter orientated and struggled to break the 3-pt line.

Zooming In: As illustrated above, by forcing the weak hand and employing a strong "Next" presence, the ballhandler struggles to penetrate the coverage with any depth off the dribble. The offensive player positioned at the wing/45 attempts to create space for the ballhandler, but this only results in providing an opportunity for the low man to easily stunt and support the "Next" defender.

In addition to inducing passivity by forcing to the weak hand, ballhandlers often face difficulties in passing out of the dribble with their weak hand. Passes may be weaker, off target, or altogether slower, as the ballhandler grapples with passing out of the dribble or has to gather with both hands before making a pass.

Zooming In: It's also worth noting that with the defense using the "Next" defender to support the on ball defender, the Defensive Big in this case can stay attached to the screener should they roll or pop.

Shrinking the Floor

When the offense is tasked with attacking the crowded side of the floor, two scenarios were most common offensively as teams made an effort to counter this coverage. The first counter involves the screener flipping the screen, allowing the ballhandler to execute a Snake dribble back to their dominant hand and the open side of the floor. The defensive solution for this counter was simple – an immediate switch by the "Next" defender, with the on-ball defender peeling back to the 45-Man.

The other offensive counter involves the 2-Man side either screening for each other to block the rotations, or cutting in an effort to open the floor and eliminate the second help. Both of these scenarios we have covered before in our breakdowns on defending the 45 cut {🔒} and defending the baseline cut (Slide Cuts) {🗞}.

For us, studying and contemplating this coverage proved to be an enjoyable experience, particularly when facing an opponent that not only utilizes the Zipper Step Up action but generally leans towards middle ball screens for their guards, aiming to exploit an open gap to get downhill into the paint.

For more on this PNR Coverage, please enjoy this week's newest breakdown on SGTV...

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Slappin Glass Podcast

We were joined on the podcast this week for a fascinating conversation with the Mental Skills Coordinator for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Andy Bass! In this podcast we discuss:

• Feedback Vocabulary and Thoughts on In-Game Coaching
• Variability vs Blocked Repetition
• Overcoming the "Yips" or Mental Freezes
• And much more

Listen to the entire episode here...

Listen Here!

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Together with Hudl

We're proud to partner with one of the best tech companies in the world of sports, Hudl! Every play, every stat, every breakdown. On their own, they’re essential. But all together, they’re undeniable. Hudl recently introduced their newest product, Hudl Instat – a new advanced data platform that integrates with Sportscode and every Hudl product you rely on to create an all-in-one data powerhouse. Hudl Instat’s advanced tagging and next-level stat reports help you develop your team – and its global film library helps you find the missing piece to get the most out of every second of film. Visit ​hudl.com/slappinglass​ to learn more.

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Tactical

📺 Monaco - Scissors • Delay​

*Thanks to Coach Kevin Lacy for the help on this breakdown.

"Off the 2 Guard Front alignment, French club AS Monaco scissors cuts the guards to the corners in order to flow into Delay."

✚ Pair With: BC Lietkabelis Elbow Scissor Series.

🔒 SG Plus Content: Our breakdown on BC Lietkabelis' Iverson Loop Elbow Series.

📺 Deep Sweep - Catching with an Advantage​

"Improving the lead for your ballhandlers or gaining an advantageous catch prior to the ballscreen by executing a deep sweep of the guard."

✚ Pair With: VTB Club Nizhny Novgorod exchanging the big players with a deep sweep before executing the Horns Screens.

🔒 SG Plus Content: Our playbook breakdown of Tenerife's sets for a shooter.

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Interesting Reads

📚 Active vs. Passive Learning​

"But if you study broadly enough you’ll see how interconnected every field is – many fields fall under an umbrella of “how the world deals with uncertainty and competition.” If you find something that is true in more than one field, you’ve probably uncovered something particularly important. The more fields it shows up in, the more likely it is to be a fundamental driver of how the world works."

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📚 Nick Saban: Sympathy for the Devil​

Taken to an extreme—which is where Saban takes it—the process has evolved into an exhausting quest to improve, to attain the ideal of “right is never wrong.” At Alabama, Saban obsesses over every aspect of preparation, from how the players dress at practice—no hats, earrings, or tank tops are allowed in the football facility—to how they hold their upper bodies when they run sprints. “When you’re running and you’re exhausted you really want to bend over," Jones says. “They won’t let you. ’You must resist the human need to bend over!’”

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📚 How to Be Successful ​

"So, no lists, but some simple advice: Read, synthesize ideas, try them, abandon those that aren't working, try new ones, read some more. Tell people about your hopes and goals. Listen for good advice; it does exist. But ruthlessly remove the bad advice, the naysayers, the permanent pessimists. Keep your mind wide open to ideas; indeed, read and understand those you might have an aversion to so that you improve your understanding and knowledge."

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Quote of the Week

Thank you for reading and have a great week coaching,

Dan and Pat

info@slappinglass.com

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